NBA Free Agents 2011: Three Players the Boston Celtics Should Avoid

While the lockout has the status of the 2011-12 NBA season up in the air, free agency will be an important tool for the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics are a team in desperate need of retooling. While the championship core is still there, they'll need to add a few pieces in order to return to playoff glory.

The C's have one of the more expensive rosters in all of basketball. They don't have the financial resources to necessarily go out and sign multiple high-impact players, nor do they have the ability to waste roster spots on poor signings.

When/if the new collective bargaining agreement is signed, and free agents are allowed to be pursued again, the Celtics will have some work to do.

Dan is a Boston Celtics featured columnist. Follow him on twitter @dantheman_06.

Glen Davis

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Glen Davis' usefulness in a Boston Celtics uniform has run its course.

During the second half of the season, Davis' consistency wavered back and forth. He concentrated more and more on isolation scoring and his own offense, and less and less on the little things––rebounding and taking charges.

The Celtics are getting alarmingly unathletic, an area in which Davis does not do well. His skillset might just be more valuable to another team than it is to the Celtics.

Glen Davis might want to stay with the C's, but it isn't going to come without a larger paycheck. The Celtics should focus on adding size and athleticism down low, which could see the end of Davis' tenure in Boston.

Greg Oden

By now, you've probably realized that the Celtics aren't going to have enough under the cap to outright sign someone like Tyson Chandler.

Even though the Celtics are going to need interior depth, Greg Oden isn't the answer, either.

The restricted free agent received an $8.8 million qualifying offer from the Portland Trailblazers before the lockout began, meaning that the Celtics would have to surpass that offer in order to sign him.

Given his history of devastating injury, there's no way that the Celtics could justify paying what the 'Blazers have offered him. He might be worth a very low-risk gamble, but his price tag is way too high.

Samuel Dalembert

Samuel Dalembert is another name that has been tossed around by fans as a possible replacement for Kendrick Perkins.

While Dalembert is a decent rebounder and shotblocker, he's not nearly as sound of a defensive player as Perkins was.

Dalembert might lack the mental fortitude to survive in the complex Boston Celtics defensive system. As John Hollinger of ESPN states in his scouting report of Dalembert:

"Dalembert pads his rebound and block totals by never venturing outside the paint to chase guards. Additionally, he's amazingly mistake-prone and is the likely league leader in violations that aren't tracked by the league: three-second calls, illegal defenses and goaltends. At times it seems he's only dimly aware of the rules."

Dalembert isn't going to see the same money that he saw in Philadelphia, but he doesn't strike me as a player that the Celtics would be comfortable paying more than a few million dollars per year.

If that's the case, teams like the Knicks would certainly have the edge in acquiring him anyway.